the first superhero was...?

[Revolutionary_Jack]

So Superman comes first because of popularity?

...yeah. That's all this comes down to. There's no slow motion replay answer to this.

The term superhero didn't get applied to the genre (which at the time wasn't really a genre) until it had been around a few years.

But when it was applied to a genre and defined as such, it was Superman that was unanimously credited as the first. Alan Moore, a guy who knows comics history, has repeatedly identified Superman as the first superhero. He did that most recently in an essay "Buster Brown at the Barricades". Literally every major comics professional said that superheroes began with Superman.

Everyone agree that the superhero genre has a "Before Superman and Action Comics #1" and "After Superman and Action Comics #1". America celebrates July 4, 1776 as Independence Day, and obviously there's an America before that day and an America after. But people drew a line in the sand and said "this is where it starts".

Saying Superman is the first and discounting everyone else who came before just because the term superhero did not exist is a bit goofy in my view.

Separating wheat from the chaff isn't goofy. Identifying the superhero genre as a distinct specific thing from earlier action adventure genres isn't goofy.

If we keep going further and further back, the definition loses meaning and purpose, it stops making sense. If you want to make the case that labels are meaningless and trite, then that's fine but anybody who wants to call Hercules "the first superhero" is still indulging in labels only with far less justification. Calling Hercules the first superhero tells us more about people today (and Americans today especially) than it does about Hercules and how people in the Ancient World saw him.

The term Superhero did not even start with Superman. At least if Mike Benton who in a 1992 book called "Superhero comics of the golden age The Illustrated History" said the term superhero was used as early as 1917 to describe a public figure of great talents or accomplishments,

Since the term "superhero" dates the 1917, Superman could not be the first superhero. As the word was coined to describe characters that already existed decades before him. As to the first, that can't be definitive and only arrived at by consensus. I suspect it will be as agreed on as much as the first Bronze Age comic book.

The word can be traced back to Friedrich Nietzsche and his concept of the Ubermensch and was originally translated as "The Superman" (which is avoided these days by philosophers and others who use "The Overman"). That word concept you cite "a public figure of great talents or accomplishments" was what Nietzsche meant. To him Napoleon Bonaparte was the Ubermensch (although for him, the word Ubermensch had a philosophical distinction that it didn't have). In the 19th Century you also had people going on about "Great Man of History" and so on.

Siegel and Shuster inspired by that concept did a science fiction story called "Reign of the Superman" in the mid-30s that was about a mad scientist. But then they retooled the concept and when they did the comic, they made Superman into a crime fighter with great powers who poses as a civilian and wears a bright costume, and poses as a champion and defender of the people. So again, Siegel and Shuster redefined and reapplied the meaning of the word Superhero with Superman, and created our current definition of it. Newsflash to people...words and their meanings change. Over time and history. Culture is a real living thing. And that is why slow-motion replay approaches to "what came first" is nonsensical on a fundamental level.

So Batman is not a superhero, no superpowers.

Batman does fight superpowered villains in the Golden Age and in modern times.

The Fantastic Four...

Obviously the genre evolved and changed over time. The point is that when Superman first arrived and in the first decade defined and created the genre, those were the foundational elements of the soup. In any genre, over time you have changes, additions and alterations within the genre as time passes. "The Great Train Robbery" is the first western movie made in the 1900s, but obviously the fact that there are westerns that do not have train robberies made later doesn't mean "The Great Train Robbery" isn't the first western.

Were Max and Moritz the first super villains, though?

Nope. The concept of the supervillain is older than the superhero. You have examples that can go as far back as you want. The 19th Century had many adventure novels with monsters and mad scientists and madmen like Frankenstein, Dracula, Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Moriarty and in the early 20th Century you had Fu Manchu, you had Dr. Mabuse and others.

Chester Gould's Dick Tracy was famous for its distinctive and iconic gangster villains and most comic book rogues, especially Batman rogues, were inspired by Dick Tracy albeit with the difference...Chester Gould killed of his villains and most of his well known rogues were one-shot characters who died, often brutally in encounters but people remembered those rogues to create serial incarnations of it.

[Kirby101]

Were Max and Moritz the first super villains, though?

Or was it......Satan?

[babyblob]

This really is a subject that can be debated but never have a clear answer. Some people will argue tooth and nail for Superman, Others will argue with the same passion that it is not Superman. There is no real factual answer. Just opinion. it is a fun debate though

And yes Jack the meaning of words do change But I doubt the meaning of the word Superhero went through a drastic change between August 1937 and June 1938.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

This really is a subject that can be debated but never have a clear answer. Some people will argue tooth and nail for Superman, Others will argue with the same passion that it is not Superman. There is no real factual answer. Just opinion. it is a fun debate though

Well one opinion -- Superman is the first -- tells us more about how the genre spread, became popular, and directly inspired others. It does so with overwhelming evidence and testimonies from professionals.

The other opinion doesn't.

And yes Jack the meaning of words do change But I doubt the meaning of the word Superhero went through a drastic change between August 1937 and June 1938.

It doesn't matter. A slow-motion replay to catch who's first isn't how these questions are settled. That's a reductive and superficial way to assess influence and origins.

Obviously words evolve over time gradually and step-by-step. And if you fish out the original letter about this, that might tell you but again...it's only because of Superman that people pay attention to letters like this. If there had been no Superman to come out in 1939, then this letter would not be of importance.

[babyblob]

Well one opinion -- Superman is the first -- tells us more about how the genre spread, became popular, and directly inspired others. It does so with overwhelming evidence and testimonies from professionals.

The other opinion doesn't.



It doesn't matter. A slow-motion replay to catch who's first isn't how these questions are settled. That's a reductive and superficial way to assess influence and origins.

Obviously words evolve over time gradually and step-by-step. And if you fish out the original letter about this, that might tell you but again...it's only because of Superman that people pay attention to letters like this. If there had been no Superman to come out in 1939, then this letter would not be of importance.

But being the ground breaking and popular does not make him the first. The things Superman did. Secret Identity, powers, fighting crime, doing great things. Those have been done by others before him. I am not talking tens of years or decades. I mean just a few years with in that decade. The superhero industry does exist because of Superman. Yes he started it. but who is to say that Kirby and Simon would not have created Captain America if he did not come out.

But the question was not who was the first popular or most influential superhero which hero inspired the other. It was who was the first. And by the definitions you gave. Secret Identities, Powers, fought crime etc.... Others did that just a few years sooner. They just did not catch on the way Superman did.

All the things that came to define the superhero genre:
-- Civilian Secret Identity
-- Vigilante crime-fighting
-- City setting
-- Superpowers
-- Crimefighting
-- Flashy iconic costumes with logos and so on.

Green Hornet 1936, Fought Crime had a secret Identity. The Shadow fought crime, secret identity, powers. 1930. So by your own definition of what a superhero is they came before Superman. They just did not catch on. These things did not start with Superman he just made them popular.

Like I said being the best does not make you the first. Look at the beetles. First British band to make it big in America. But they were not the first British band.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

But being the ground breaking and popular does not make him the first.

Defining and creating demand for the genre and inspiring publishers and editors to look for their Superman (and so inspiring the pitches and concepts writers/artists had with them), is what makes Superman first.

It's not just popularity, it's Popularity with a capital P.

The superhero industry does exist because of Superman. Yes he started it.

That's it. That's all that counts.

...but who is to say that Kirby and Simon would not have created Captain America if he did not come out.

Kirby and Simon might have come up with some other anti-fascist concept but doing it specifically as a superhero with a sidekick, and a crazy villain with a "Super Serum" giving him powers...obviously came from Superman and characters like the Shield who followed.

But the question was not who was the first popular or most influential superhero which hero inspired the other.

The question was "Who is the first superhero" and no specific criteria was given, all we got was list of candidates and among the one was Superman. I chose Superman in a one sentence post, and when asked to elaborate gave my reasons. So the criteria was never affixed in the OP.

Like I said being the best does not make you the first.

I only said Superman was the first superhero because he made the biggest defining splash and directly spurred the creation of other heroes...I never said that he was the "best" or anything. In terms of comics, characters, stories and art, I'd say Spider-Man is the best individual hero, while Batman has the best villains, and so on and so forth.

And in terms of comics overall, I'd never say any superhero title was the best in comics.

Look at the beetles. First British band to make it big in America. But they were not the first British band.

It's because of The Beatles that The Rolling Stones, The Who, the Animals, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and many others got to play in USA and had a big American audience and market for their work.

The Beatles inspired every band to write their own songs rather than just cover stuff. Also distinct cover art, and mass media productions like movies.

[babyblob]

To answer the original posters question I would call the first superhero as in masked crime fighter to be The Shadow.

I love reading his old pulp stories and have read a few comics. I love his radio show, and have read a couple of his comics.

[DrNewGod]

To answer the original posters question I would call the first superhero as in masked crime fighter to be The Shadow.

I love reading his old pulp stories and have read a few comics. I love his radio show, and have read a couple of his comics.

Some of those pulp stories were painful, but even those were pretty fun. The interchangeable way in which those authors used "revolver" and "automatic" was murder on my OCD tendencies.

[babyblob]

Some of those pulp stories were painful, but even those were pretty fun. The interchangeable way in which those authors used "revolver" and "automatic" was murder on my OCD tendencies.

OMG the writing was pretty bad. But lets be honest most of the Golden Age that people (Including me) have such a high regard for is full of bad writing and forgettable stories. Be it Pulp or comics. Even a lot of The Silver Age is pretty forgettable.

But being goofy and getting lost in another world for a moment, even if it does not stick long term is the point of media.

[BeastieRunner]

Phantom, Zorro, and Shadow are more vigilantes IMHO than superheroes even though Shadow has some actual powers. They are and were considered "super-heroes" of the time they came out by most. So that is just my opinion.

Hugo Hercules and the Scarlet Pimpernel were popular in the early 1900s and were definitely tied to the term "super-hero" due to their stories.

Nyctalope was a cyborg that appeared in 1911, and was called a "super-hero" for his night vision and strength.

John Carter was a "super-hero" that debuted in 1911. Tarzan appeared later in 1912 in magazine form and in addition to being able to talk to animals, he had super strength. The term "super-hero" was used to describe both of them.

Zorro showed up in 1919 and was called a "super-hero" by Burroughs in an interview when he was talking about Carter and Tarzan as "super-heroes".

The Shadow, Green Hornet, & Lone Ranger appeared roughly the same time in the 1930s. They were called "super-heroes" in many reviews, if you will.

Conan, Doc Savage, the Phantom, and the Avenger appeared around there, too, and were referenced as "super-heroes" of the time.

Doctor Occult was pushed in 1935 as the first usage of the one-word term, "superhero" and popularized the genre as it's own literary subsection. Beginning in 1938 Superman, Zatara, Arrow, Wing, Namor, Crimson Avenger, Blue Beetle, Human Torch, Batman, and a whole host of others in an 18 month time frame took off to explode the genre.

Herc and the Pimpernel seem to be the progenerates of the term between 1902 and 1905 as it was used often before it was popularized by Doctor Occult as a genre. DC, Fox Comics, Timely/Atlas/Marvel, Centaur, Quality, and co seem to have made the genre what it known for today.

So my vote would be for Hugo Hercules or Scarlet Pimpernel as the first termed "super-hero" and Doctor Occult as the first genre "superhero."

[Kirby101]

Well one opinion -- Superman is the first -- tells us more about how the genre spread, became popular, and directly inspired others. It does so with overwhelming evidence and testimonies from professionals.

You make your case why you think it's Superman, but...

[Kirby101]

It's because of The Beatles that The Rolling Stones, The Who, the Animals, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and many others got to play in USA and had a big American audience and market for their work.

The Beatles inspired every band to write their own songs rather than just cover stuff. Also distinct cover art, and mass media productions like movies.

Which makes them the most important, but not the first.

[DrNewGod]

Phantom, Zorro, and Shadow are more vigilantes IMHO than superheroes even though Shadow has some actual powers. They are and were considered "super-heroes" of the time they came out by most. So that is just my opinion...

IIRC, the radio program gave The Shadow that "cloud men's mind" thing because describing the way he could hide in shadows didn't work in narration as well as it did in print. In the pulps (at least those I've read), whether or not The Shadow had any supernatural mojo was left highly ambiguous, and I've read that Gibson did this deliberately so he could convey a spooky character that, nonetheless, wasn't completely fantastical.

[Kirby101]

Sherlock Holmes was a bit of a Superhuman.

[BeastieRunner]

IIRC, the radio program gave The Shadow that "cloud men's mind" thing because describing the way he could hide in shadows didn't work in narration as well as it did in print. In the pulps (at least those I've read), whether or not The Shadow had any supernatural mojo was left highly ambiguous, and I've read that Gibson did this deliberately so he could convey a spooky character that, nonetheless, wasn't completely fantastical.

That sounds plausible. I only know Shadow from the radio show, having owned several programs over my life. I have yet to read his old pulps or new comics!

Sherlock Holmes was a bit of a Superhuman.

You could argue that as well because he was a bit like a proto-Batman but that term and genre was not around till the 1900s.

I guess it depends on how it is defined?